Rishabh Pant, the first Indian to get off the mark with a six in debut Test says he just played his usual game
Debutant Rishabh Pant hits his second ball for a six on Day One of the third Test Test against England at Trent Bridge on August 18. Pic/Getty Images
Rishabh Pant, 20, might be defined as a fearless cricketer by his peers and coaches, but the Roorkee lad has admitted that he was a tad nervous ahead of his Test debut in the third Test.
Despite the nerves, Pant had a sound debut by taking seven catches in the match and scoring a well composed 24 in his first outing. He also became the first Indian player to get off the mark with a six in his debut Test "I was nervous. Everyone is nervous when they play their first match. I saw the ball and reacted to it. I was not thinking of hitting it for a six. I was just playing my normal cricket," he told reporters.
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More than Pant's batting, the bright side for India was that he looked comfortable with the gloves against the Duke ball that is known to deviate through the air after it passes the batsmen.
"Wicketkeeping in England is always difficult because the ball wobbles a lot behind the wicket. "I have been playing for India 'A' since the last two and a half months in England, so it has been helpful for me in my preparation," he said. Pant nearly pulled off a brilliant one-handed catch of Jos Buttler off Jasprit Bumrah and while he was disappointed with the miss, the youngster provided an insight on his mindset behind the stumps. "As a 'keeper, you have to wait for the outside edge.
"That is the only thing I can do and that is what I have learnt from it [dropped catch]. It is a big challenge, but the thing is that when Bumrah bowls, he bowls with a different angle.
"So, sometimes we react to it. That day I reacted too much on that ball and the edge came off. I'm not saying that it was not too difficult a catch; I could have pulled it off but it is part of the game."
Talking about his dramatic rise from a youngster growing up in Roorkee (Uttarakhand) into the Test arena, Pant credited his childhood coach Tarak Sinha. "It's been a really good experience because starting from zero is not easy. There is a struggle in everyone's life, and there was one in mine too. All credit to my coach. He has helped me at every point of my life," he concluded.
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